Speech by Minister of Health, Mr Gan Kim Yong, at World Diabetes Day Singapore 2012

Mr Yong Chiang Boon, President, Diabetic Society of Singapore
Dr. Kevin Tan Eng Kiat, Chairman, Organising Committee
Dr. Lennard Thean, Clinical Director and Senior Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology, NUH
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning to all of you.

1. It gives me great pleasure to be here in commemorating the annual World Diabetes Day again with you. Today is a day for the world to remember that we are in this fight against diabetes together, and is important not only for people with diabetes or caregivers of people with diabetes, but also for Singaporeans at large.

Burden of diabetes

2. Diabetes is a major non-communicable disease (NCD). Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. In Singapore, more than 400,000 people have diabetes, and most of them are above the age of 40. As our population grows and ages, the number of Singapore residents aged above 40 with diabetes is projected to increase to 600,000 by 2030.

3. Diabetes also imposes lifelong demands on people living with the condition and their families. If left undiagnosed or poorly treated, diabetes can cause complications such as blindness, kidney failure, limb amputations, heart attacks and stroke.Annually, approximately 1 in 700 of all diabetics develop kidney failure requiring dialysis. In 2010, approximately 1 in 110 diabetics suffered a heart attack, 1 in 140 diabetics suffered a stroke, and 1 in 400 underwent lower limb amputations.

Changing the way we live

4. The key message of World Diabetes Day 2012 is that “the way we live is putting our health at risk”. This is a harsh but true fact. The increasing prevalence in type 2 diabetes has, for most countries, has developed alongside rapid cultural and social changes, ageing populations, increasing urbanisation, and unhealthy behaviours such as poor dietary habits and reduced physical activity. Singapore has not been spared.

5. A major risk factor for developing diabetes is obesity. Though our rates of obesity are relatively low compared to other countries like the USA or UK, this is no time for complacency. The rates of obesity in Singapore residents increased from 6.9% in 2004 to 10.8% in 2010. We are therefore stepping up efforts to promote physical activity in the population. A common barrier to exercising which has been cited is “a lack of time”. However, physical activity need not happen only in the gym, but anytime, anywhere, and can be accumulated through small changes in daily lifestyle habits, such as taking the staircases or walking to nearby hawker centres for lunch rather than driving.

6. Encouraging good habits is a lifelong process which should start from young. Getting our youth to adopt a healthy lifestyle sets the stage for them to continue maintaining healthier habits into adulthood and old age. Therefore, we now leverage a peer-to-peer approach for health promotion. In September, Health Promotion Clubs were launched as a secondary school Co-curricular Activity (CCA), where students will be equipped with the skills and the resources to champion health promotion.

7. Another strategy we will be exploring is how to minimise the exposure of advertising of foods high in salt, sugar and fat content to children. As you know, we will soon be launching an online consultation process on introducing food advertising guidelines for children. I hope to hear from all of you when the consultation start, as your input will have an impact on the health of our children in future.

Screening and prevention of complications

8. Aside from lifestyle modifications, screening early for diabetes is also crucial. More than 50% of people with diabetes are unaware of their condition. I urge Singaporeans to undergo screening early, not just for diabetes, but other chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Affordable and convenient screening is available under the Integrated Screening Programme (ISP), which brings together a bundle of recommended screening tests.

Managing the condition well

9. Screening must be accompanied by follow-up and appropriate action, management and treatment to prevent complications from setting in. Among known diabetics, the proportion with poor sugar control (HbA1c ≥ 8.0%) was 32.0%. The Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) has a comprehensive approach to the care of diabetic patients by general practitioners (GPs)/family physicians, and follows a standardised treatment protocol. To enable more Singaporeans to benefit from CDMP, my Ministry has increased the Medisave withdrawal limit for the scheme. The Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS) was also enhanced earlier this year to enable middle- and low-income Singaporeans to benefit from subsidised care when they visit their GPs.

10. My Ministry will continue to improve our healthcare system, including ensuring that a healthy lifestyle is accessible and affordable. The public too, must play their part by leading healthy lifestyles and encouraging others to do so. Together, we can promote healthy communities and families and protect our future. To the Diabetic Society of Singapore and their partners, the National University Health System, the Singapore National Eye Centre and NUSS – the Graduate Club, I wish you all the best in your unswerving fight against diabetes.

Thank you.